Imphal: Four alleged poachers were arrested with huge arms and ammunition inside Nongmaiching Reserved Forest about 20 km from Imphal under the Imphal east district in the early hours of Monday.
Police said that they were arrested while trying to poach nocturnal animals inside the Nongmaiching Reserved Forest under the Central Forest Division.
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Two sophisticated hunting rifles along with jungle knives, ammunition, and other hunting materials were recovered from them, the police informed.
The arrests and seizures were made by a combined team of Sanjenbam police and Nongmaiching forest at around 3.30 am on Monday.
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Based on reliable information a number of hunters who have trespassed into the reserved forest area, the combined team of the Manipur police, and forest guards led by Range Officer Nongmaiching Forest N Prabin waylaid and overpowered them.
State officials have recently taken measures upon reports that the Nongmaiching Reserved Forest under the Central Forest Division has been subject to mass hunting of wild animals and birds, smoking of hunted animals, and construction of tree platforms for hunting.
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This was discovered when a combined team of Forest field staff from the Irilbung Beat Office and other Beat offices, as well as members of the Joint Forest Management Committee, conducted a search operation in the reserved forest.
The arrested persons, and seized weapons, ammunition, and other materials used in the hunting materials have been handed over to the concerned officials for further legal proceedings under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the police said.